Blogs take journals to a new level

By Joshua O'Connell
Posted Sunday, January 25, 2004

The Internet has made a lot of things very easy. One of the improvements has been in allowing people to find you and learn about you. The latest phenomenon in that arena is web logs, or blogs.

Blogs are, in essence, online journals allowing people to post their thoughts, links to great Web sites, or what they had for lunch. That's to be expected - they're usually very personal or specifically themed.

With an automated blog run by sites like LiveJournal, or ones you can put on your own site like Movable Type, you can simply fill out a form, click a post button, and it's available for all to see.

There are a lot of good things about blogs. For one, I've been able to reconnect with old friends, both online and offline, because I've tripped across their blogs. They allow you to keep in touch, find out what's been going on in their lives, and also send them comments on their entries. Instant gratification is always a good thing.

Blogs also help satisfy the voyeuristic side of our culture in the same vein as our obsession with Ashton and Demi or Bennifer. You get a glimpse into a person's life that you sometimes don't even get chatting with them. Somehow the anonymity of the Internet makes that easier. Friends-only posts also allow bloggers to hide entries from everyone except people designated as friends - great for inside jokes or more personal entries.

Blogs serve as a bit of a life's journey in written form. I used to do this in a written form with a journal. But losing the journal for weeks, forgetting that it's there, or just otherwise being busy caused me to leave a lot of gaps. Since many people, including myself, spend so much time online, blogs are an easy way to do something productive while getting into the habit of writing regularly.

Even some celebrities have gotten into the game. One of the most popular blogs on the Internet right now is one maintained by Wil Wheaton, an actor who was in the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His is read by thousands daily. Right now, mine's read by an average of 13. But that's OK - the fun part's writing.

Of course, there is one down side. I occasionally read my old handwritten journals and am amazed by how immature I was back in middle and high school. With blogs, anyone, friends or strangers, know how immature I was last year, last month, or even last night. Let the writer beware.

This column originally ran January 5, 2004 in the Connecticut Post.

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